Some Indians fans think the 1989 movie “Major League” is a true story. Considering who will be pitching Game 1 of the World Series, you can’t blame those fans for being a little delusional.

The Yankees’ CC Sabathia will take on the Phillies’ Cliff Lee, two ex-Indians and Cy Young winners throwing it down in the World Series opener tonight.

Sabathia has gotten the Yankees into the World Series for the first time since 2003. Lee has given the Phillies the opportunity to win back-to-back world championships, something that hasn’t been done since the Yankees won three straight in 1998, 1999 and 2000.

In their respective final full seasons for Cleveland, Sabathia and Lee combined for a 41-10 record.

When Indians GM Mark Shapiro was asked what it is going to be like watching two of his former pitchers start Game 1, he said: “It’s a bittersweet moment for me. As people, I’m excited for both Cliff and CC to have the chance to show their talent on a stage that big. But it’s also bitter for me because they aren’t doing it in the Cleveland organization.”

The Indians couldn’t afford to keep them.

“This will be fun,” Sabathia, who was traded from the Indians to the Brewers last July, said of pitching against Lee. “We’re close. We always have been. We came up together.”

They came up together once the Indians acquired Lee, stealing him away from Omar Minaya and the Expos.

“Once he got traded over,” Sabathia said of Lee and that 2002 trade, “he came to the Big Leagues, and we’ve been close ever since. You know it’s going to be a lot of fun facing him. We did it Opening Day, opened up the Stadium and that was pretty cool. It’s just weird because a couple years ago we were talking about maybe pitching in a World Series together, now we’re in different clubhouses. It’s just a little weird, but it will be fun.”

This is a Cleveland homecoming in many ways.

Phillies manager Charlie Manuel was managing in Cleveland when Sabathia arrived and was a big reason for his success.

“Charlie was great,” Sabathia said. “I owe him everything because at the time when I came up, I was 20 years old, and the front office didn’t want to bring a 20-year-old up to the big leagues, and Charlie told me at the beginning of spring training if I pitched well enough, he was going to take me. He kept his word.”

Sabathia won 19 games in the regular season and has three more wins in the postseason with a postseason ERA of 1.19. Lee is 2-0 this postseason with an amazing 0.74 ERA. During the regular season he was 14-13, 7-9 with the Indians and 7-4 after he was traded to the Phils.

The Indians got a boatload of prospects for the two pitchers. In that respect, the Indians have something in common with the movie “Major League,” except being in the race.

“They can’t be feeling to good about it,” Lee said of the Indians’ fans.